People watching short videos more, especially during bedtimes were found to have higher blood pressure.

Watching reels spending a considerable amount of time scrolling social media has become an irresistible part of daily lives for most of the people, irrespective of the age groups. While many people admit feeling unwell or mentally tired after long hours of social media use, a study has revealed that the addition to the reels can indeed lead to high blood pressure.

The study, published in BioMed Central (BMC), an open access platform that publishes peer-reviewed journals in a variety of scientific topics analysed 4,318 young and middle-aged people in China and found that those who spent more time watching reels were exposed to increased blood pressure and hypertension. The sample individuals self-reported screen time spent watching short videos at bedtime, and they were made to undergo medical examinations between January 2023 and September 2023. The result showed people who spent longer screen times reported having higher hypertension.

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The study distinguished traditional screen time, like watching television, playing video games, and using computers, from being the screen time spent watching reels at bedtime, underscoring the sedentary nature of it. It also noted that the traditional screen time was often accompanied by a certain amount of physical activity.

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The researchers that include Fengde Li, Fangfang Ma, Shangyu Liu, Le Wang, Lishuang Ji, Mingqi Zheng, and Gang Liu of Hebei Medical University underlined that watching reels before bedtime can cause sympathetic arousal, which is a factor for causing blood pressure. They also advised to voluntarily controlling the screen time while recommending a healthy lifestyle to reduce the blood pressure and hypertensions.

Lifestyle change, according to the experts, is crucial for reducing the risk of hypertension. High blood pressure is one of the widespread diseases in the world, and nearly 1.3 billion adults aged 30 to 79 years are experiencing high blood pressure, making it one of the major risk factors for heart ailments and stroke. Hypertension also takes people to many other diseases, causing premature deaths and reduced quality of lives.